Vacuum interrupter chambers are known to have a drive or a drive capability for each disconnection movement (breaker gap). Contact pieces are located in a vacuum interrupter chamber (VK) for this purpose. One contact piece is firmly installed in the vacuum interrupter chamber, and one contact piece is arranged such that it can move on a supply line. The movement of the contact piece which is arranged in the vacuum interrupter chamber is produced via the supply line and a bellows. Furthermore, when the switching apparatus is required to be free of restrikes, two breaker gaps can be connected in series to form two vacuum interrupter chambers.
Known vacuum interrupter chambers (VK) can be equipped with one breaker gap, and are predominantly standardized.
If vacuum interrupter chambers with increased dielectric strength after load or power switching operations are utilized, large separations are involved within an interrupter chamber and, of course, this also applies to the separation (the disconnection movement) between the contact pieces.
If a switching device is required to be free of restrikes, then breaker gaps are in some cases connected in series. The two vacuum interrupter chambers must, however, be driven separately. This can be done by means of two switching devices or by means of one switching device with a lever system (transmission).
If, for example, two vacuum interrupter chambers are chosen, the technical complexity of the unit is high, which increases costs and manufacturing ease. A further restriction is the comparatively large volume which is required at the moment for a double vacuum-interrupter chamber arrangement. If switching devices are required for the field of load-interrupter circuit breakers or for capacitive switching, safe disconnection (small number of restrikes) is required.